The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2016/17 to be removed during the course of this season. At this revision, no points were removed from the ranking list as there was no corresponding event two years ago, with just points added based on results in Sydney, Australia.

On Yee extends her lead

With victory in Australia, world number one Ng On Yee landed the latest blow in what has so far been an intriguing battle at the top of the world women’s ranking list so far this season.

The campaign began with the 27-year-old having significantly extended her lead at the top of the standings following victory at the UK Women’s Championship in September, only for Reanne Evans to immediately close down the gap with her first title of the season in Belgium earlier this month.

This latest triumph for On Yee however, combined with a semi-final defeat for Evans means that the Hong Kong player is again clear by 10,800 points heading into the final ranking event of the calendar year in Gloucester next month.

Away from the top two the big winner was Katrina Wan, who climbs one place above Laura Evans to a career-best equalling fifth position after she reached the final of a WLBS event for the first time. With 4,850 fewer points to defend than fourth placed Maria Catalano over the coming months, Wan will be targeting a place inside the top four for the first time if she can maintain this form for the rest of the season.

Finally, it was also another milestone event for 18-year-old Nutcharut Wongharuthai as the Thai star broke into the world’s top eight for the first time following her run to the semi-finals in Sydney.

Asian Gains

With only Reanne Evans in action from Europe the event provided a number of Asian players with the opportunity to gain ground on the ranking list and perhaps the biggest winner was Ho Yee Ki who climbs three places to a personal best 13th position following her last 16 run at the Mounties Club.

Also on the rise from Hong Kong are Fong Mei Mei (+1) and quarter-finalist Chu Ying Mini Chu (+3), while Yeeting Cheung climbs nine places to 29th as she also made a career-best break of 80 during a successful weekend in Australia.

There was also a welcome return for Jeong Min Park of South Korea who gains seven places to return to the top 30 as she competed in her first event since the 2017 Festival of Women’s Snooker in England.

Australian representation

There are now over 100 players represented on the official world women’s ranking list for the first time in several years with several newcomers competing at the inaugural tournament in Sydney, Australia.

Prior to the event Oceania was represented by just one player, Judy Dangerfield having played earlier this year at the World Women’s Championship and European Women’s Masters tournaments. She is now joined however by several Australian players who were in action at the Australian Women’s Open, including quarter-finalist Jessica Woods who is a re-entry to the ranking list in 60th position.

Of those who did not progress to the final stages to the main event, Kathy Parashis took victory against Kylie Bellinger to win the Challenge Cup competition.

The final ranking event of the 2018 will be the Eden Women’s Masters, to be held at England’s South West Snooker Academy from 24-25 November. Enter now online HERE.

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2016/17 to be removed during the course of this season. At this revision, no points were removed from the ranking list as there was no corresponding event two years ago, with just points added from the European Women’s Masters at De Maxx.

Evans closes the gap

After Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee dramatically extended her lead at the top of the world ranking list with her victory at the season-opening UK Women’s Championship, second ranked Reanne Evans has now narrowed the gap following her latest title success.

With On Yee’s early exit to Nutcharut Wongharuthai at the last 16 stage in Neerpelt, combined with the first silverware of the season for Evans, the 11-time world champion has closed to just 7,050 points behind, compared to 13,612 heading into Belgium.

Elsewhere Keighley’s Rebecca Kenna consolidated third place with her run to the semi-finals, with closest challenger Maria Catalano not competing in the event and therefore unable to add to her total.

The remaining positions inside the top eight are unchanged, but there is a new entrant to the top 10 as 18-year-old Nutcharut Wongharuthai climbs two places to a career-high ninth following her second appearance in a ranking final. Since joining the tour as a regular player back at February’s UK Open, only the top three have gained more ranking points than the talented Thai player who has just 3,300 to be removed from her total during the next 12 months and is on course to continue moving up the list.

Ranking risers

Outside of the top 10, there is a new career-high of 13th for Emma Parker after the 19-year-old reached her first ranking quarter-final in Belgium, while former world number three Jaique Ip also climbs two places to 12th after she also reached the last eight.

Hong Kong’s Ho Yee Ki also rises one place to a new personal best of 16th position, while Germany’s Diana Stateczny re-enters the top 30 after she reached the last 16 stage.

There is a leap of 14 places for home favourite and our host last weekend at De Maxx, Wendy Jans, who is now ranked 31st following her run to the semi-finals.

Finally, Australia’s Judy Dangerfield also moves to a new career-high of 44th after she reached the knockout stages at her second ranking event.

Under-21 rankings

There was a change at the top of the Under-21 rankings in Belgium as Emma Parker ascended to top spot following her fourth Under-21 title victory during the past 18 months.

Having come into the tournament just 300 points behind 16-year-old Shannon Metcalf, Parker defeated the youngster 2-1 in the round robin stages of the European Women’s Masters Under-21 event before defeating Nutcharut Wongharuthai 2-0 in the final to clinch the title.

Parker now sits 3,450 points clear of Metcalf at the top of the list and with fewer points to defend compared to the Leeds-based youngster during the remainder of the season has a good opportunity to remain there for the immediate future.

Further down the list, Thailand’s Wongharuthai climbs two places to fifth following her final appearance with Aimee Benn next in her sights.

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2016/17 to be removed during the course of this season. At this revision, points earned at the 2016 Paul Hunter Ladies Classic and 2016 UK Ladies Snooker Championship events have been removed from the ranking list and replaced by those earned last weekend at the Northern Snooker Centre.

On Yee extends her advantage

Following the successful defence of her UK title in Leeds, Hong Kong star Ng On Yee has significantly tightened her grip on top spot with her lead now stretching from 5,850 to 13,612 points to second placed Reanne Evans.

This significant swing is primarily the result of two factors, the first of course being On Yee’s victory combined with the surprise last 16 exit of record eight-time UK champion Evans to Rebecca Kenna.

The second reason is that as well as having more points going onto her total after this event, On Yee also had fewer points to defend with 12,300 coming off her total compared to 13,500 for Evans following their respective results two years ago. Interestingly this pattern will continue through until early next year with Evans defending winners points from the Eden Women’s Masters (7,500) at which On Yee lost in the quarter-finals (3,750), as well as semi-final points from the 2017 Connie Gough Trophy (3,200) at which On Yee did not compete.

The tables will turn after that however with On Yee set to defend a further 20,000 points before the end of the season compared to just 6,400 for Evans, giving the Dudley star a chance to close down the gap.

The top 10

Keighley-based Rebecca Kenna has moved back up Maria Catalano into a career-best equalling third position following her run to the final at the UK Women’s Snooker Championship.

The two most consistent performers on the tour outside of the top two in recent seasons, the pair have enjoyed a competitive battle in 2018 which has seen them regularly swap places in the table and it will be interesting to see whether either player can make that position their own over the coming months or even mount a serious challenge to the top two.

There is no change in position elsewhere in the top ten, although Katrina Wan has closed the gap to fifth placed Laura Evans by reaching the quarter-finals, while Evans was not in action in Leeds.

Ranking risers

It was another successful event for Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai who climbs six places to a career-high 11th position following her run to the semi-finals. With no points to come off her total prior to next year’s World Women’s Championship, it would appear inevitable that the 18-year-old will soon break into top ten for the first time and could follow the example set in recent years by players like Rebecca Kenna and Laura Evans who have firmly established themselves inside the top six.

Other significant movers include Hong Kong’s Ho Yee Ki who climbs four places to 17th following her run to the quarter-finals, while there are new career-high positions for several players including Chloe White (23) and Connie Stephens (44), who reached the last 16 of an event for the first time in Leeds.

Of the five debutants in action this weekend Ploychompoo Laokiatphong enjoyed the most success by making it through to the last eight and is rewarded with an initial ranking of 59.

Under-21 rankings

Turning to the Under-21 rankings and 16-year-old Shannon Metcalf remains in top spot following her run to the final this weekend in Leeds. Interestingly however, second placed Emma Parker has closed the gap to just 300 points after her semi-final run because she had no points to defend having not competed at the event in 2016 while Metcalf was defending final points from that year.

Both players are now comfortably clear of third placed Stephanie Daughtery, who was defending champion’s points from the UK Under-21s Championship in 2016.

Elsewhere, this weekend’s champion Nutcharut Wongharuthai climbs one place to seventh and with two titles from three since joining the tour as a regular player earlier this year, it would again be no surprise to see her gain further positions over the coming months.

The 2017/18 season was another to remember for Ng On Yee as the Hong Kong player rose to the summit of the WLBS world ranking list for the first time, but who were the other movers and shakers during the season-long campaign?

Like the professional World Snooker Tour, the WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2015/16 replaced by those from this season over the past 12 months.

Number one

As mentioned above, this year has seen a change at the top of the rankings for the first time in nearly four years as Ng On Yee claimed top spot from Reanne Evans following the British Open back in February, maintaining the position through to the end of the season.

With victories at the UK Women’s Championship, Women’s Masters and of course the World Women’s Championship in Malta, it was another strong season for the 27-year-old, although after Evans won three of the campaign’s final four events no doubt the pair will enjoy another season-long battle for top spot next season.

The top eight

Away from the top two it was another successful season for Rebecca Kenna who broke into the world’s top three for the first time earlier this year, eventually finishing in fourth behind Malta finalist Maria Catalano.

The Keighley player enjoyed her most consistent run on the World Women’s Snooker Tour to date, reaching four semi-finals including her third successive World Women’s Championship last four appearance to improve upon her starting position of number six.

The top eight as a whole remained relatively stable with seven of the players who began the season inside the elite bracket remaining there at the end of the campaign. The exception to the rule was Germany’s Diana Schuler, who following a consistent season which saw her regularly qualify for the knockout rounds of competitions, was able to break into the world’s top eight for the first time to become the current highest ranked player from mainland Europe.

Junior progress

It was another strong season for the tour’s junior players who continue to gain valuable experience, including West Yorkshire’s Aimee Benn who also achieved a top ten position for the first time by virtue of reaching the last 16 of each of the six events that she competed in.

Asian talent

The World Women’s Snooker Tour continued to see an influx of new talent from Asia during last season with no fewer than 10 players from Hong Kong, Thailand and South Korea finishing inside of the top 30.

Without doubt the most successful newcomers were Thai duo Nutcharut Wongharuthai and Waratthanun Sukritthanes, who both earned top 20 places despite not playing a full calendar of events. Both made their debuts at the 2017 World Women’s Championship in Singapore, but it was during 2018/19 that the pair really rose to prominence.

Wongharuthai was first to announce herself as the 18-year-old stunned newly-crowned world number one Ng On Yee in the semi-finals of the British Open to contest her maiden final, before she proceeded to capture the 2018 World Women’s Under-21 Championship in Leeds last month. Sukritthanes meanwhile reached the last eight of the World Women’s Championship in Malta for a second successive year, subsequently going one better at both the World Women’s 6-Red and 10-Red World Championship competitions by reaching the semi-finals.

From Hong Kong we saw three victories at Challenge Cup events as newcomers Ho Yee Ki, Pui Ying Mini Chu and Yee Ting Cheung all claimed silverware, while we also were treated to a memorable semi-final encounter between Ng On Yee and So Man Yan at the Paul Hunter Classic at the start of the season, eventually won by On Yee following a deciding frame.

The future

While the future of course is still to be written, by looking at which players had a strong start to the 2016/17 season or otherwise we can make some deductions as to who may be in a position to climb the ranking list over the first half of the new campaign.

At the head of the list On Yee looks to have a strong grip on top spot as it is Evans who has more points to defend during the first half of the campaign including winner’s points from two of the first three events played during that season. Evans however will then have significantly fewer points to come off compared to her Asian rival as she looks to reclaim the world number one ranking over the following months once again.

With no points to defend over the next six months, top 20 trio Emma Parker, Nutcharut Wongharuthai and Waratthanun Sukritthanes are among those best placed to continue making strides up what is becoming an increasingly competitive ranking list if they can maintain their current form.

The 2018/19 World Women’s Snooker Tour is set to begin with the UK Women’s Championship at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds this September. Further details of the tournament and additional events still to be announced will be confirmed in due course.

Eligible players

The top 30 players on the current WLBS ranking list are eligible to be nominated by their National Federation (NF) to compete.

Each NF is able to nominate up to FOUR additional players to compete.

Only players representing National Federations who are members of the WSF by the event entry deadline of 1 March 2018 will be eligible to be nominated. This applies to ALL players who wish to compete in the tournament.

IMPORTANT: If you are one of these players and wish to compete at the tournament, you MUST contact your NF as soon as possible to confirm your nomination for the tournament.

Additional nominations

In addition to the top 30 players, each NF which is a member of the WSF is eligible to nominate up to a further four players to compete in the tournament.

For the avoidance of doubt, players ranked within the top 30 will not count towards these four players. For example if all 17 English players currently inside the top 30 of the rankings were to play in Malta, England’s NF (EASB) would still be able to nominate a further four players.

If you are currently ranked outside of the top 30 and wish to compete at the tournament, we urge you to contact your NF as soon as possible for further information as to their selection criteria for nomination.

Entry deadline

The event entry deadline for nomination is 1 March 2018.

All entries for this tournament must be submitted through National Federations.

For further information and to download the tournament invitation letter and supporting documents click HERE.

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2015/16 to be removed during the course of this season. At this update, points earned at the 2016 Connie Gough Trophy and Eden Classic events have been removed from player’s totals and replaced with those earned last weekend at the British Open.

Change at the top

Despite a semi-final defeat for Ng On Yee against Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai at the British Open last weekend, her last-four run was enough to see her make history and overhaul Reanne Evans at the top of the rankings for the first time in her career.

Having come into the tournament 1,550 points behind Evans, the Hong Kong ace needed to win just one match in Stourbridge to guarantee that she would replace the 11-time world champion at the top of the rankings, regardless of what happened thereafter. This was because Evans was defending maximum points from two events held during the corresponding period two years ago, a significantly higher amount than her main tour rival.

The result is that On Yee becomes the first Asian woman to hold the top ranking and now holds a lead of 2,250 to Evans heading into next month’s World Women’s Snooker Championship in Malta. With Evans also set to defend maximum points there from having won her most recent world title in 2016, On Yee will be hoping to maintain her advantage as we move towards the end of the season.

The top 10

Away from the top two, there was also a significant movement just behind them as Rebecca Kenna leapfrogged former number one Maria Catalano to reach a new career-high ranking of number three.

Although it was Catalano who came into the event ahead in the points race, the loss of 4,000 ranking points from her run to the final of the Connie Gough Trophy in 2016 (at which Kenna did not play), combined with Kenna progressing two rounds further than Catalano in Stourbridge, means that it is the Keighley player who has now edged ahead for the first time.

There is no change to the remainder of the top eight as those ranked 5-8 hold station, but tour veteran Jenny Poulter climbs two places to ninth following her first quarter-final run of the season.

Nutcharut on the rise

Outside of the top 10, the biggest mover was of course 18-year-old Nutcharut Wongharuthai, who climbs 28 places to 32nd following her run to the final in Stourbridge.

Further down the order, rookie player Jackie Ellis rises 30 places to 52nd having reached the last 16, while Sharon Lewis climbs 15 places to 37th following her first competition of the season.

Under 21s

On the Under-21 ranking list Leeds youngster Shannon Metcalf remains in top spot some 6,800 points ahead of Stephanie Daughtery.

With the top two currently seeded apart in Under-21 draws, the battle for second place will be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks following 18-year-old Emma Parker’s latest victory in Stourbridge, where she edged out Daughtery 3-2 in the final to claim her third Under-21 title during the past 12 months. As a result, Parker now stands just 1,000 points behind Daughtery in the rankings race.

Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai was a new entry as she played in her first WLBS juniors event.

Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee will become world number one for the first time when the WLBS world rankings are revised next week.

Following her 3-0 victory against Emma Parker at the last 16 stage of the WLBS British Open this evening, the reigning world champion has already ensured that she will earn sufficient ranking points from the event held in Stourbridge, England to overhaul long-time number one Reanne Evans at the top of the ranking list, regardless of tomorrow’s results.

On Yee will become the first player from Asia to ascend to the summit of the WLBS rankings, crowning a magnificent past 12 months which has seen the 27-year-old claim five WLBS ranking titles, including her second world title last March in Singapore.

Mandy Fisher said: “It is a brilliant achievement for On Yee to become world number one for the first time ever. She works so hard on her game and since joining our tour seven years ago her determination and desire to improve have always stood out.

“Her rivalry with Reanne at the top of the sport can only be positive for women’s snooker and I am sure that this will be a battle that will continue for many years as Reanne looks to fight back and re-take the top ranking.”

The tournament resumes on Sunday with the main event now down to the quarter-finals. View today’s results and the updated draw HERE.

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS) can today announce that the WLBS world ranking of Michelle Brown will be frozen at number 24 until the end of the 2018 calendar year.

The long-standing Sheffield based player was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in November 2016 and has been unable to compete on the World Women’s Snooker Tour for a period of over 18 months as she has undergone treatment.

Thankfully however, this has proved successful with Michelle now in remission and she is looking forward to returning to the circuit later this season with the support of her fellow players and officials on tour.

During her absence from the tour, Michelle has seen her ranking drop to 70th from the position of 24th that she held following her last competitive appearance at the 2016 World Women’s Snooker Championship in Leeds, England.

In view of the exceptional circumstances, and decisions within the professional game to freeze the ranking/seeding of Paul Hunter and Ali Carter in recent years during comparable situations, WLBS has taken the decision to freeze Michelle’s ranking at 24th for the remainder of the year. This will give Michelle the opportunity to replace the ranking points that she has lost during her time out of the sport.

At the end of the year, her ranking will return to being decided based upon her ranking points total at that time.

WLBS President Mandy Fisher said: “It’s fantastic news that Michelle is making such a good recovery. We look forward to welcoming her back onto the women’s tour very soon. She has supported women’s snooker since she was a teenager and it’s nice to be able to do something to support her.”

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during 2015/16 to be removed during the course of this season. At this update, points earned during the 2015 UK Women’s Championship have been removed from player’s totals and replaced with those earned during this year’s corresponding event in Leeds.

On Yee defends points

With her third career victory at the LITEtask UK Women’s Championship at the weekend, Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee was able to successfully consolidate her position behind beaten finalist Evans in the world rankings.

In fact neither player sees a change to their points totals as the final was a repeat of their 2015 meeting also won by On Yee, therefore the reigning world champion remains 6,800 points behind Dudley’s Evans.

The top 10

Behind the top two, Maria Catalano who was a semi-finalist in Leeds remains in third position, while Laura Evans and Rebecca Kenna have narrowed the gap behind with quarter-final runs, with neither losing points this weekend having not played in the event two years ago. Evans will however be defending big points at the upcoming Eden Masters having reached the final of that event two years ago on her return to the World Women’s Snooker Tour.

Suzie Opacic moves up a place to 7th above the absent Tatjana Vasiljeva following her quarter-final run, while Germany’s Diana Schuler rises to a new career high of number nine following her last 16 run.

Finally, Seniors event winner Jenny Poulter reclaims a top 10 position at the expense of Jaique Ip Wan In, who has missed the first two events of the 2017/18 season and drops two to 11th.

The chasing pack

Outside of the top 10 notable movers include Ireland’s Paula Judge, up six to 21st following her last eight run in Leeds, while U21 winner Emma Parker has also gained six positions to climb into the top 30 after she reached the last 16 of the main competition on Saturday.

Heidi De Gruchy was also a big mover having reached the last 16 at a 15-red WLBS event for the first time, moving up to 23rd position from her starting position of 29th.

Teenage duo Stephanie Daughtery and Aimee Benn have also gained positions inside the top 20 having successfully qualified for the knockout stages, while Challenge Cup winner Ho Yee Ki moves up 12 places to 31st after she also reached the last 16 of the main event.

The updated ranking list will be used to determine the seedings for the Eden Women’s Masters later this month – enter the event now at www.wlbsl.com

The WLBS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis, with points earned during the 2015/16 season to be removed during the course of this season. With no corresponding event played in 2015, no points have been removed for this cut-off, with points gained in Germany now added to player’s totals.

Evans consolidates

Following a hat-trick of victories for Ng On Yee towards the end of last season at the World Championship and Festival of Women’s Snooker, the Hong Kong star had closed to within 5,300 points of long-time number one Reanne Evans at the top of the ranking list.

Victory for Evans in Germany however sees her extend her advantage by 1,500 points, with the gap possibly set to widen further following next month’s UK Women’s Championship where On Yee will be defending maximum points following her Leeds victory in 2015.

Top six pull clear

With five of the top six in action at the quarter-finals stages in Fuerth, there is now a gap of some 4,525 points from sixth placed Wan Ka Kai, to the likes of Tatjana Vasiljeva, Suzie Opacic and Jaique Ip Wan In, the trio having not competed in Germany.

There is a new career-high ranking for semi-finalist Rebecca Kenna, who rises one place to fifth position and with no points to defend for the remainder of the year will have fourth placed Laura Evans in her cross hairs over the coming months.

On the rise

One player who looks well-placed to make significant progress up the ranking list over the coming months is Hong Kong’s So Man Yan, now up to 12th following her semi-final run in Germany. With no ranking points to defend during the remainder of the season, it will be all gain for her over the coming months and she is now within striking distance of the top 10.

The newest entry to the top 10 is Germany’s Diana Schuler, who breaks into the group for the first time at the expense of Sharon Kaur following her last 16 run at the weekend. Fellow German Diana Stateczny also made significant progress at the weekend by reaching the quarter-finals, meaning that she climbs six places to number 21.

Junior players Stephanie Daughtery and Aimee Benn both gain one position each to rise to 16th and 19th respectively, while there are three new entries to the ranking list, Sangeeta Hemchand, Anita Seidel and Linda Erben having entered a WLBS event for the first time during the current counting period.

The updated ranking list will be used to determine the seedings for next month’s LITEtask UK Women’s Snooker Championship.